How are everyones squashes doing

[onemoreroll]

Hi is anyone harvesting round courgettes in the south London/Kent area?

[tricia]

< When you pick them from the vine leave a long handle on ideally with a couple of stems coming off that..but don't carry it by the handle.

When ready to store, wipe down with 10% solution of bleach and water. >

The above is a quote from one of Jeannine's many posts on how to store squash for the winter. I've been following her advice for years! Apparently, the bleach solution kills any baddies that may be lurking on the squash which could cause them to deteriotate quite quickly.

Tricia

[Duke Ellington]

Tricia- So do you wash before curing or before storage? In one of your posts you mention washing before curing and then in your last post you state....

"When ready to store, wipe down with 10% solution of bleach and water"

or doesn't matter when you wash?

Duke

[tricia]

I wash all my squash as soon as they are harvested then cure for two or three weeks in a warm, hopefully sunny, spot before storing.

(My last post was a copy of part of a post by Jeannine), but her advice is to do as above.

Tricia

[shirlton]

Thanks for replying Tricia. I will do the job today. I love this site for picking up all these little tips.

[earlypea]

Are you supposed to wash the handle with the bleach/water solution too, or just the squash's body?
Thanks...

[shirlton]

Well here they are all washed. Will I have to eat the ones that broke off without handles or will they keep.

[GrannieAnnie]

Finally got the Jarrahdale cut before the deluge set in this morning. It weighed in at 9.2 kg (20.26 lb). It's had its bleach wash and is now with the others curing by the patio windows. The futsu foliage is still nice and green so the 5 fruit will be left for as long as possible. Also have 3 small Hunter butternuts which still have a long way to go.

[ Attachment ] [ Attachment ]

Tricia

Tricia, an exciting picture and your jarrahdale is a monster!!  No wonder you needed help getting it down. How do you plan on preparing it? Our largest squash  weighs much less and I'm guessing I'll save it til Thanksgiving when we have a crowd for dinner.

[GrannieAnnie]

Well here they are all washed. Will I have to eat the ones that broke off without handles or will they keep.

Shirlton,

The butternut looks pretty green so you may have to eat it I'd guess if your fingernail can dent it. The Sunshine without a stem= I don't know since it is my first year growing them. Just keep an eye on it. One of ours got a mold at the stem end so we ate it and found it delicious. If I'd added a tad of sugar and spice  it would have been sweet enough for a dessert pie. It was far sweeter than butternut and hadn't even cured.

Do you paint? That lineup of your squashes on those tiles would make a lovely still life painting.

[goodlife]

Hmm..does anybody recognize this "queensland blue"?....that is not one...

[GrannieAnnie]

No, but it looks very interesting!

[goodlife]

 ..yes it does...I can't wait to see the flesh..
I've been through all the suppliers that I've bought seeds from and none of them has anything that looks like it..

Ohhh...this turns out to be year of the 'lost labels and other mishaps'..

[shirlton]

Did you get it from Betty cos it might be one of those triffids that I got 

[goodlife]

No I didn't almost all mine are from commercial sources..I did get some from GrannyJanet..but those have been ok...
I haven't saved any of mine..so it have to be seed suppliers.. Plant itself is not that rampant..
Is your triffid ripe yet?

[tricia]

earlypea - all of it to kill of any spores or other baddies. The handle is an important part of the squash if you want to store it because that is often where it starts to rot if you are not careful. btw - don't hang squashes by their handles.

Tricia

[shirlton]

Well Goodlife it looks ok. Very orange and very hard. I don't yet know what I am going to do with it. I may however return it to the sender in exchange for the real macoy . I do know that she has a glut of bonbon.

[mpdjulie]

Finally, came back yesterday from a 2 week holiday and today we harvested the squash and pumpkins that were ready, we still have about the same amount to harvest.  Fantastic haul!!

[shirlton]

Now that Boston winter looks like the one that Betty gave me as a bonbon Julie

[GrannieAnnie]

mpdjulie, a beautiful haul and picture! go revel in your success!

[Unwashed]

Julie, that is a very impressive crop.  Squash is not my speciality and I wish I could do better, they're such a versatile tribe.